Simulation and Fabrication of P3HT:PCBM Solar Cell

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) polymer solar cell is studied by using GPVDM simulations and experiments. The research focuses on the effects of active layer thickness on solar cell structures as bulk heterojunction (BHJ) (ITO/P3HT:PCBM/Al) as compared to a bilayer structure (ITO/P3HT/PCBM/Al). The optimal active layer thickness of 200 nm is obtained in the simulation for BHJ solar structure. The results also indicate that bulk heterojunctions exhibit slightly higher efficiency than bilayer solar cell with the same thickness, possibly due to a better and worthier total surface region for charge separation and reduced recombination between the electrons and holes. BHJ solar cell is fabricated in the experiment by using spin coating. The results show that higher spin speeds result in a thinner active layer, and the device coated at 2500 rpm had the highest power conversion efficiency of 0.91 % because of a higher Isc and fill factor, despite a low absorption. The results suggest that bulk resistance, and morphology of the active layer play important roles in the carrier transport in the P3HT:PCBM solar cell.